Itinerary
Casamance and Sine Saloum 9 days
ITINERARY
The trip at a glance
We are going to Africa, the continent of magic, immense landscapes, wild life and eternal smiles………….and, unfortunately, of improvisation and extreme poverty. There everything is solved with sorcerers and invocations to strange spirits. We, the long-suffering white men, need much more, to control the situation, enjoy and understand briefly what we see and return home quickly at a certain time (we had better). For this reason, and although our trip only lasts ten days, we have to prepare things well. The “improvisation” will take care of dismantling our plans and take us through the suggestive paths of the unforeseen. Read these notes well, do not forget what is important and enjoy preparing your “expedition”.
March 2024
(subject to airline change)
9 days
*Personalized experience with people or guides who know the country. We accompany you on the trip, you do not go alone, we travel with you. We make groups of up to 12 people, but you can come alone.
Day 1. Travel And Entry In Senegal
We will arrive in Dakar at night and go to rest at the Royam Hotel, on the beach of Saly. (80 Km. by road)
*Flights depart from Madrid, Barcelona and Málaga.
Day 2. Gambia Crossing & Kalounayes Forest
300 km by road
In the morning we will visit the market of Mbour and the arrival at the fishermen’s beach, an impressive multicolored spectacle, after crossing Kaolack, capital of the Sine Saloum, and visiting its very impressive market, we will continue to the border with Gambia. We will cross this small country of English colonization and once back in Senegal we will arrive in the Casamance region to stay in the Kalounayes Forest, home of the red colobus, one of the most unique monkeys in West Africa.
Day 3. Seleki Solidarity Camp.
Ouonck Mask Festival and Kingdom of Bandial
120 km by road and track
The Seleky Solidarity Camp, located in the heart of the ancient Kingdom of Bandial and open since 2008, carries out educational and cultural recovery projects, mainly of endangered traditions. The Diolas, ancient descendants of people from the Nile, are considered one of the best builders in Africa.
Its large “Impluvium” huts, built with mud, wood, cane and straw, are proposed to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, although they are very threatened today due to their replacement by others made with modern materials. In the morning, we will attend the Ouonck Mask Festival organized by the troupe of this village in the beautiful forest of Kalounayes. In the afternoon, once we cross Ziguinchor, the capital of Lower Casmance, we will arrive at Seleki Camp and visit the villages of Enampor and Bandial, where some beautiful huts of traditional architecture can still be seen.
Day 4. Seleki Solidarity Camp
Bolongs and mangroves of the Casamance river
120 km by road and track / 3h motor canoeing
Bolongs and mangroves of the Casamance river (70 km by road and track).70 km by road and track)
Day to discover by canoe the arms (bolongs) of the Casamance River, its mangroves, its biodiversity and the villages that inhabit its banks. In the morning we will visit the village of Seleki and its school. From the Kamanbeul jetty we will travel by canoe to the village of Eloubaline, on an island in the river, where some houses of the “Impluvium” type are still preserved and traditional animist customs are still ingrained. After visiting the village, we will cross the mangroves to Edioungou where we will stop for lunch at a fishermen’s restaurant. In the afternoon we will visit the bird island from Ziguinchor.
If you are lucky, you will be able to observe pelicans, cormorants, herons, flamingos and other aquatic birds that inhabit the mangroves. Back at the camp we will attend a party with music and dances of the Diola women from the village of Seleki.
2h camel caravan
Day 5. Seleki Solidarity Camp
Islands and beaches of Casamance.
3h by road and track / 1h of motor canoeing
Islands and beaches of Casamance. (3h by road and tracks)
Basse Casamance is made up of a group of islands, sandbanks, tropical forests and saltwater arms, all of which cluster around the Cassamance River as it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. During this day we will travel to visit two of the most beautiful and characteristic places in this area.
In the morning, we will discover the island of Carabane, with some remains of colonial architecture and paradisiacal beaches frequented by dolphins. In the afternoon we will go to the tourist resort of CapSkirring to visit its magnificent sandy beaches and coconut palm forests.
Day 6. Return to Sine Saloum
Day of return to the Sine Saloum region. After a brief stop to visit the markets of Ziguinchor, capital of the Lower Casamance, we will cross the Gambia River again until we reach Kaolack. We will try to get to Faoye camp as soon as possible to rest and have a good swim on the beach before dinner.
400 km by road
Day 7. Faoye Solidarity Camp
40 km by road and track / 1h of motor canoeing
Full day at the Solidarity Camp in the village of Faoye, located in the Sine-Saloum Delta, and inhabited by the Serer ethnic group. This saltwater delta is listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Beautiful landscapes of calm waters, wintering ground for numerous European and African waterfowl. Herons, cormorants and pelicans can be seen flying over this region of vast mangrove swamps, sandy islands and baobab forests. Here,
Campamentos Solidarios has a cooperation project since 2010 for the sustainable development of the entire rural community. In the morning we will visit the village, the school and some small projects of resource generation that Campamentos Solidarios carries out with the community. After lunch at the camp we will travel by canoe (motorized) to the small village of Sakhor Island where we have recently repaired the access bridge. We will return for dinner at the camp before attending the Senegalese wrestling festival organized by the village, very popular among the Sereres of this region.
Day 8. Faoye Solidarity Camp
Faoye Village
Faoye is a small Serer village located on a large lagoon that forms a branch of the Saloum River. They live mainly from agriculture and fishing, although the advance of desertification and salinity in this area is causing serious problems to develop these activities. Free day to get to know the town better, relax on the beach or go fishing in the lagoon. Optionally, a canoe excursion to the mangroves of Sine Saloum is available.
20 km by road
Day 9. Dakar and Goré Island
We will go up the “petitecôte” to the port of Dakar, where we will take the ferry to the island of Goré. This island, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the best examples of colonial architecture in Africa. Many of the slaves that populated the Americas came from there. Back in Dakar, after a brief tour of the city, we will have dinner before heading to the airport.
100 km by road
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